Sliding sheath type fixture for pistol accessory

ABSTRACT

A fixture attaches a pistol accessory to a pistol. The fixture has a seat having a holding hole for retaining the pistol accessory, the seat having a generally U-shaped body with two flank sides connected by a bottom surface, and with each flank side having an inner surface and a fixing hole. The seat further includes a sliding track disposed on the inner surface of each flank side, with each sliding track slidable along one of the longitudinal grooves along the bottom edge of the pistol barrel. The fixture also includes a fixing rod extending through the fixing holes in the two flank sides, and an elastic mechanism provided adjacent the bottom surface of the seat and engaging the fixing rod to bias the fixing rod into a transverse groove at the bottom edge of the pistol when the fixture is attached to the pistol.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to a fixture for a pistolaccessory, and in particular to a sliding sheath type fixture forsecuring a pistol accessory to a pistol.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] The conventional fixing rack for a pistol accessory is normallyused to secure a pistol accessory on the trigger guard of a pistol.Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional fixing rack comprises afixing base 12, a fixing sheath 16 and a connecting plate 14. The fixingbase 12 has an L-shaped base plate 122 and an arc body 124 that areconnected by a bridge element 126. A space 123 is disposed between theL-shaped base plate 122 and the arc body 124. A plurality of threadedholes 125 are positioned at the flank sides of the L-shaped base plate122 and the arc body 124, and another threaded hole 127 adapted toreceive a short bolt 128 is also positioned at the short edge of theL-shaped base plate 122. A plurality of round holes 145, aligned withthe threaded holes 125 that are positioned at the flank sides of theL-shaped base plate 122 and the arc body 124, are positioned on theconnecting plate 14 in order to connect and fix the connecting plate 14to the fixing base 12. A circular through hole 162, having alongitudinally cut groove 164 therein, is disposed in the fixing sheath16, with one end of the cut groove 164 transitioning to a curved groove166 that is perpendicular to the cut grove 164. A plurality of threadedholes 168 and 167 are positioned along the bottom of the fixing sheath16. A laser sight (not shown) can be inserted in the circular throughhole 162, and a bolt 184 can be screwed into the hole 168 to secure thelaser sight tightly in the circular through hole 162 because theexistence of the cut hole 164 allows the cylindrical body of the sheath16 to be flexed inwardly to clamp the laser sight when the bolt 184 isscrewed tightly inside the hole 168. In addition, the sheath 16 can besecured to the fixing base 12 by securing bolts 182 through the holes167 and into aligned holes 125 on the L-shaped base plate 122.

[0005] In use, the trigger guard 25 of a pistol 20 is inserted into thespace 123 of the fixing base 12, and then the connecting plate 14 issecured to the L-shaped base plate 122 via the bolts 182, the openings145 and the holes 125. After that, the short bolt 128 is screwed intothe hole 127 to press tightly against the trigger guard 25 so that thearc body 124 and the short bolt 128 can clamp the trigger guard 25 so asto prevent the fixing rack from shaking.

[0006] Unfortunately, the fixing base 12 of the conventional fixing rackdescribed above is locked on the trigger guard 25 of the pistol 20. Thismakes it not only inconvenient to assemble and disassemble, but alsolimits the space inside the trigger guard, hindering a user's fingerduring operation of the pistol. Additionally, not all front ends oftrigger guards of pistols are perpendicular and smooth, so the axialline of the fixing base 12 will deviate from the sight line, making itdifficult obtain an accurate aim.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] It is an object of the present invention to provide a fixture fora pistol accessory that is easy to assemble and disassemble from thepistol.

[0008] It is another object of the present invention to provide afixture for a pistol accessory that assures that the axial line of thefixture is aligned with the sight line of the pistol.

[0009] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide afixture for a pistol accessory that can be tightly secured to the pistolduring use to prevent the fixture from shaking or misalignment.

[0010] The objects of the present invention can be accomplished byproviding a fixture for attaching a pistol accessory to a pistol. Thefixture has a seat having a holding hole for retaining the pistolaccessory, the seat having a generally U-shaped body with two flanksides connected by a bottom surface, and with each flank side having aninner surface and a fixing hole. The seat further includes a slidingtrack disposed on the inner surface of each flank side, with eachsliding track slidable along one of the longitudinal grooves along thebottom edge of the pistol barrel. The fixture further includes a fixingrod extending through the fixing holes in the two flank sides, and anelastic mechanism provided adjacent the bottom surface of the seat andengaging the fixing rod to bias the fixing rod into a transverse grooveat the bottom edge of the pistol when the fixture is attached to thepistol.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0011]FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional lasersight fixing rack;

[0012]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fixing rack, of FIG. 1, shownsecured to a pistol;

[0013]FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of alaser sight fixing rack according to the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fixing rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0015]FIG. 5A is a sectional view of the fixing rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0016]FIG. 5B is a rear plan view of the fixing rack shown in FIG. 3;

[0017]FIG. 6A is an exploded view illustrating how the fixing rack ofFIGS. 3-4 is mounted to a pistol; and

[0018]FIG. 6B is a perspective view illustrating the fixing rack ofFIGS. 3-4 mounted to a pistol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0019]FIGS. 3, 4, 5A and 5B illustrate one embodiment of a fixing rack30 according to the present invention, which includes a seat 32, afixing rod 36 and an elastic mechanism 34.

[0020] The seat 32 has a holding hole 322 at its lower side forreceiving a pistol accessory 40. A U-shaped sliding sheath 324 isdisposed at the upper side of the seat 32, and a sliding track 325 isdisposed at each inner side of each flank side 321 of the sliding sheath324, and adapted to be inserted into a sliding groove at the bottom edgeof a pistol barrel. A through fixing hole 326 is provided at each flankside 321 of the seat 32. The fixing rod 36 is positioned through thefixing holes 326 of the seat 32 and can be moved up and down inside thefixing holes 326. The elastic mechanism 34 is installed at the bottom ofthe sliding sheath 324 to support the fixing rod 36 and to supply anupward elastic force so as to keep (i.e. bias) the fixing rod 36 at anupper position inside the fixing holes 326 without the need to exert anyexternal force. Therefore, referring to FIGS. 6A-6B, after the slidingtracks 325 are wedged into the longitudinal grooves 52 at the bottom ofthe pistol barrel, the fixing rod 36 can be moved upward to be seatedinto a transverse groove 54 of the pistol 50 to secure the fixing rack30 to the pistol 50. The elastic force of the elastic mechanism 34maintains and biases the fixing rod 36 securely in the transverse groove54. To remove the fixing rack 30 from the pistol 50, the fixing rod 36is pressed downwardly to counter the elastic force of the elasticmechanism 34, and the sliding sheath 324 (i.e. the tracks 325) can beslid off the longitudinal grooves 52 of the pistol 50.

[0021] An inclined plane 362 may be provided at the inner side of thefixing rod 36, so that the inclined plane 362 can easily slide up ordown into or out of the transverse groove 54 when either an upward ordownward force is applied to the fixing rod 36. In addition, a two-sidedor L-shaped wedging surface 364 can be positioned at the outer side ofthe fixing rod 36 and adapted to be seated inside the transverse groove54 to more effectively secure the fixing rod 36 inside the transversegroove 54 when the fixing rack 30 is secured to the pistol 50. A groove366 may also be disposed at the lower side of the fixing rod 36 oppositefrom the wedging surface 364, and is adapted to allow the elasticmechanism 34 to be wedged and fixed therein to prevent the fixing rod 36from sliding inside the fixing holes 326.

[0022] The elastic mechanism 34 can be provided in the form of elasticplates or springs. In addition, another elastic element may also beinstalled at the bottom of the sliding sheath 324 to prop against thebottom of the pistol barrel after the fixing rack 30 is secured to thepistol 50 so as to supply a second fulcrum, to prevent the fixing rack30 from shaking even if a gap exists between the sliding sheath 324 andthe bottom edge of the pistol barrel. In this embodiment of the presentinvention, a fixing elastic plate 342 and a supporting elastic plate 344are provided on the elastic mechanism 34. The fixing elastic plate 342supports the fixing rod 36 by providing an elastic force to bias thefixing rod 36 upwardly, and the supporting elastic plate 344 providesthe function of the second fulcrum. A longitudinal groove 328,corresponding to the configuration of the elastic mechanism 34, isdisposed at the bottom of the sliding sheath 324 so as to retain andsecure the elastic mechanism 34 therein. The elastic mechanism 34 can besecured to the groove 328 by a threaded bolt 346 that can be screwedinto aligned holes 348 (on the elastic mechanism 34) and 323 (in thegroove 328).

[0023] A clamping ring 38 can also be provided at a front end of theseat 32 of the fixing rack 30. The clamping ring 38 has a longitudinalslot 386, and a threaded hole 382 is provided through each of the twoflank sides of the slot 386 in the body of the seat 32, the two holes382 being aligned with each other and extending transverse to the slot386. The pistol accessory 40 can be inserted into the holding hole 322of the seat 32, and then secured in the holding hole 322 by screwing abolt 384 through the holes 382 to bring the holes 382 closer together(i.e., reducing the width of the slot 386) so as to clamp the clampingring 38 against the pistol accessory 40.

[0024]FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate how the fixing rack 30 can be mountedon to the pistol 50. The sliding tracks 325 of the sliding sheath 324are slid on to the longitudinal grooves 52 of the pistol 50 until thefixing rod 36 is biased into the transverse groove 54 and securedtherein. To dismount the fixing rack 30 from the pistol 50, the fixingrod 36 is pressed down to release the fixing rod 36 from the transversegroove 54, and then the fixing rack 30 can be slid forwardly out of thepistol 50. Since the longitudinal grooves 52 are disposed along thebottom edge of the pistol barrel and are parallel thereto, the axialline of the fixing rack 30 coincides with the axial line of the pistolbarrel so that the laser sight line can be consistently maintained withrespect to the axial line of the fixing rack 30.

[0025] As indicated above, the present invention uses a sliding sheath324 and a biased fixing rod 36 to mount a fixing rack 30 onto a pistol50, enabling a pistol accessory 40 to be mounted on and dismounted froma pistol 50 quickly and conveniently.

What is claimed is:
 1. A fixture for attaching a pistol accessory to apistol, the pistol having a pistol barrel that has a bottom edge, with apair of longitudinal grooves provided along the bottom edge, and atransverse groove extending between the longitudinal grooves at thebottom edge at a predetermined location, the fixture comprising: a seathaving a holding hole for retaining the pistol accessory, the seathaving a generally U-shaped body with two flank sides connected by abottom surface, each flank side having an inner surface and a fixinghole, the seat further having a sliding track disposed on the innersurface of each flank side, with each sliding track slidable along oneof the longitudinal grooves; a fixing rod extending through the fixingholes in the two flank sides; and an elastic mechanism provided adjacentthe bottom surface of the seat and engaging the fixing rod to bias thefixing rod into the transverse groove of the pistol when the fixture isattached to the pistol.
 2. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the fixingrod has an inner side, and an inclined plane provided along the innerside.
 3. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the fixing rod has an outerside, and a two-sided wedging surface provided on the outer side andengaging the transverse groove of the pistol.
 4. The fixture of claim 1,wherein the fixing rod has a bottom side, and a groove provided on thebottom side of the fixing rod for receiving the elastic mechanism. 5.The fixture of claim 1, wherein the elastic mechanism is a plasticplate.
 6. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the elastic mechanism is aplastic spring.
 7. The fixture of claim 1, wherein the elastic mechanismfurther includes a fulcrum element that engages the bottom edge of thepistol.
 8. The fixture of claim 7, wherein the fulcrum element is anelastic plate.
 9. The fixture of claim 1, further including alongitudinal groove in the bottom surface of the U-shaped body in whichthe elastic mechanism is retained.
 10. The fixture of claim 1, whereinthe seat further includes a clamping ring that has a longitudinal slotthat separates two flank sides, with a threaded hole provided in each ofthe flank sides of the clamping ring, and a bolt that is extendedthrough the threaded holes in each of the flank sides of the clampingring.
 11. An assembly, comprising: a pistol having a pistol barrel thathas a bottom edge, with a pair of longitudinal grooves provided alongthe bottom edge, and a transverse groove extending between thelongitudinal grooves at the bottom edge at a predetermined location; apistol accessory; and a fixture comprising: a seat having a holding holefor retaining the pistol accessory, the seat having a generally U-shapedbody with two flank sides connected by a bottom surface, each flank sidehaving an inner surface and a fixing hole, the seat further having asliding track disposed on the inner surface of each flank side, witheach sliding track slidable along one of the longitudinal grooves; afixing rod extending through the fixing holes in the two flank sides;and an elastic mechanism provided adjacent the bottom surface of theseat and engaging the fixing rod to bias the fixing rod into thetransverse groove of the pistol when the fixture is attached to thepistol.
 12. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the fixing rod has aninner side, and an inclined plane provided along the inner side.
 13. Theassembly of claim 11, wherein the fixing rod has an outer side, and atwo-sided wedging surface provided on the outer side and engaging thetransverse groove of the pistol.
 14. The assembly of claim 11, whereinthe fixing rod has a bottom side, and a groove provided on the bottomside of the fixing rod for receiving the elastic mechanism.
 15. Theassembly of claim 11, wherein the elastic mechanism is a plastic plate.16. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the elastic mechanism is a plasticspring.
 17. The assembly of claim 11, wherein the elastic mechanismfurther includes a fulcrum element that engages the bottom edge of thepistol.
 18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the fulcrum element is anelastic plate.
 19. The assembly of claim 11, further including alongitudinal groove in the bottom surface of the U-shaped body in whichthe elastic mechanism is retained.
 20. The assembly of claim 11, whereinthe seat further includes a clamping ring that has a longitudinal slotthat separates two flank sides, with a threaded hole provided in each ofthe flank sides of the clamping ring, and a bolt that is extendedthrough the threaded holes in each of the flank sides of the clampingring.